“It’s not just the lump sum, it’s the potential in some cases for them to make capital returns if they decide to purchase a second home, such a condominium. They’re getting a benefit while they’re an MLA, and they’re potentially getting a benefit post-political career as well.”

The number of MLAs taking the full lump sum could have been larger had there not been an election. Twelve MLAs who were either retired or were defeated in the May provincial election claimed exactly $2,000, despite the Legislature not sitting during the time they were in office.

“We don’t like this system,” says Jordan Bateman of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

“We only want to pay for what we have to pay for, we don’t want to write politicians a blank check.”

While the legislature is in the middle of a three-month spring session that wraps in two weeks, overall activity has sharply decreased over the years.

“The fact that the Legislature sits for so few days a year speaks in a bad way to the quality of legislation. MLAs do not have sufficient time to review legislation, debate legislation and come back and vote on it. Certainly there’s a very good argument to be made that the Legislature should sit for more days in the year and that committees should sit more.”

The amount of expenses taxpayers are on the hook for came under question in this legislative session. In March, Speaker Linda Reid was forced to pay back more than $5,500 she billed the government to fly her husband, business-class, to South Africa with her on a government trip last year.